Tuesday, April 21, 2015

The Turf Club Bar and Grill - Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

On Saturday, we had dinner at The Turf Club Bar and Grill, which serves American cuisine in a racetrack clubhouse setting at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.  


The Turf Club is open daily for dinner, and sits alongside the Lake Buena Vista Golf Course clubhouse.  


You can dine outside on the covered patio, which I would have enjoyed had it not been so hot, or inside in the dimly lit restaurant with its wood-paneled walls. 


The Turf Club does not currently have a gluten free menu, but Chef Eric went over the menu with me.  He offered me gluten free bread, which ended up being Ener-G rolls.  I am always amused that my gluten-eating daughters ask to sample my bread at every Disney restaurant, even when they are in the midst of devouring their own bread.  These Ener-G buns got a thumbs up from both of my girls, and I thought they were pretty good, because they were well heated.  Update - The Turf Club now has an allergy-friendly menu, which you can view here, on my friend Sarah's blog Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at WDW.  You can read her most recent dinner review here.  


I did not ask about gluten free appetizers, because I knew I wanted to get an entree and dessert.  Chef Eric told me that the grilled lamb chop, grilled salmon, spice-rubbed pork tenderloin, and the grilled New York strip entrees were all naturally gluten free.  


I decided to order the spice-rubbed pork tenderloin with butternut squash risotto and fried sage.  My pork was nicely seasoned, tender and cooked to temperature.  I enjoyed every bite with a little piece of the fried sage and the risotto, because I loved the marriage of all the flavors on this dish.  The butternut squash risotto was not as creamy as I expected it to be, but it tasted great, and I enjoyed the Parmesan it was served with.


My husband ordered the grilled salmon with teriyaki glaze and cilantro jasmine rice with green peas.  When I asked Chef Eric about this dish being naturally gluten free, he told me they use a tamari-based teriyaki glaze.  I sampled a couple of bites while Mitch was distracted cutting our daughter's chicken, and was impressed with both the salmon and rice.  


Nina, our international student, ordered the Turf Club Pasta with shrimp, garlic, and fresh vegetables tossed in a spicy Italian herb-infused olive oil.  She really enjoyed it, and Chef Eric told me I could have ordered it too with gluten free pasta.  He also said he could modify the sustainable fish of the day to make it gluten free.  My gluten-eating daughters loved their crispy free-range chicken breast with three-cheese macaroni & cheese with green beans almondine.  If I had ordered this dish, the chicken would not have been fried, and it would have been served with mashed potatoes instead of mac & cheese.  The Turf Club definitely has plenty of gluten free options.  


For dessert, I could choose the mango sorbet, warm seasonal fruit crisp with vanilla ice cream (minus the streusel topping), or the chocolate espresso torte with raspberry sauce and vanilla-port wine ice cream.  Four out of five of us decided we wanted the torte, which got a big thumbs up from all of my ladies.  It was smooth and creamy, and very rich, so thankfully there was plenty of ice cream, whipped cream, fruit and raspberry sauce to go with it.  


The Turf Club was highly recommended to me by a couple of my blog readers, and I can see why.  All five of us were very happy with our entrees and desserts.  From The Turf Club, it is a short walk or boat ride over to Downtown Disney.  

You can read more about The Turf Club, view their menu, and make advance dining reservations on Disney's website here.

What are your favorite gluten free dishes at The Turf Bar Bar and Grill?



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